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DFL wins big in northern Minnesota
Rick Nolan cruised to a surprisingly strong victory over Rep. Chip Cravaack in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional district. DFLers swept all but a couple northern Minnesota legislative seats, including a sweep of the SD5 “incumb-off” races and key pickups elsewhere. The DFL won the State House and State Senate by convincing margins, bringing a dramatically new…
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LIVE BLOG: Election Night 2012 in Northern Minnesota
You might think this is a liquor store making a strong political endorsement, but no. This is Hibbing DFL headquarters, built inside the bones of a recently defunct liquor store. Polls in Minnesota and across the nation have closed. I’ll report election results and behind-the-scenes information from my sources across northern Minnesota throughout the evening…
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Election Day in the hot, hot North
Henry made a snowman last week and we had some fun enfranchising it. After the most bruising, scorched-earth campaign season in the modern history of northern Minnesota, it brings me great pleasure to report the following: Today is election day. One side may win. One side may lose. An ambiguous mixture of results is more…
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Northern Minnesota’s role in shaping the legislature
Earlier today I shared my final thoughts on the MN-8 race heading into Election Day. Right now I’m going to share some ideas about legislative races in northern Minnesota. Conventional wisdom is that the DFL has “a good chance” to take back the Senate and “a chance” to take back the House. I haven’t seen…
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Decision time in #mn08’s land of ore, woods, waters & ships
The entire Iron Range political class of these last decades grew in the shadow of Rep. Jim Oberstar. This 36-year-veteran of Congress was the chosen successor to Rep. John Blatnik, his boss and fellow Chisholm native who himself served 28 years previously. The two men epitomized the rise of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party after WWII. They…
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My latest MN-8 analysis on Twin Cities AM950
I’ll be a guest on the Left MN Radio Hour on AM950 in the Twin Cities this afternoon at 2. I’ll talk about the MN-8 race between Rep. Chip Cravaack and former Rep. Rick Nolan. I’ll also add some insight to some of of the northern Minnesota toss-up legislative races. You can listen at AM950…
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Hurricane Bill skitters about Mesabi Daily News endorsements
Based on a scathing editorial against DFLer Jason Metsa written before the primary, I was certain Bill Hanna’s Mesabi Daily News would endorse his Republican opponent in House District 6B before the election. I was proven wrong, as Hanna gave the nod to Metsa today in the race to succeed Rep. Tom Rukavina who retired…
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COLUMN: Wisdom to the victors, comfort to the defeated
This is my Sunday column for the Nov. 4, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Wisdom to the victors, comfort to the defeatedBy Aaron J. Brown As the old saying goes, “Don’t vote, you’ll only encourage them.” Well, OK. You should vote. It’s more than just a civic duty. Important issues are at stake…
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Scenes from a northern battleground district
Tom Anzelc’s sign on the corner of Itasca 8 and 336. It should be noted that the Balsam Deer Hunter’s Supper does not feature Michelob, though it is on the sign. Lord, give us votes, but thanks for the roast beef. This is the first election in a few cycles where the Minnesota deer hunting…
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Watch Cravaack, Nolan in final MN-8 debate today
Today at noon Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) will debate challenger and former Rep. Rick Nolan (DFL) in the fourth and final debate. Fittingly, the debate will be held at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia, one of the hubs of the Iron Range region. As has been the case throughout the election, The…
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Vote No campaign kicks of Iron Range closing argument
Though I have strong personal political views, I try to avoid letting this blog become too activist in its goals. I like to report and analyze, but also like people to make up their own minds about how to vote. This reflects a change from the early days of this blog, which many of you…
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DFL confirms Tuesday Bill Clinton rallies in Duluth, Minneapolis
UPDATE: Live footage of President Clinton in Duluth here. Former President Bill Clinton will rally voters in Duluth and Minneapolis Tuesday in support of President Obama, Senator Amy Klobuchar and, among others, former Rep. Rick Nolan, the DFL candidate in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. At this time it appears that the rallies will take place…
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COLUMN: Love, like iron, stands up to pressure and time
This is my Sunday column for the Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece aired last week on KAXE’s “Between You and Me.” You may access the audio version here. Love, like iron, stands up to pressure and timeBy Aaron J. Brown The story of the Iron…
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Great Northern Radio Show rebroadcast will be Sunday at 11a
Last Saturday we broadcast a new episode of the Great Northern Radio Show from the Boardman Auditorium at Eveleth-Gilbert High School in Eveleth, Minnesota. It was two hours of laughs, tears and some of the best music we’ve ever featured. I’m proud of all our shows, but I’m particularly proud of how the program continues…
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Remembering Wellstone on the Iron Range
Today we commemorate the lives of Paul and Sheila Wellstone, Marcia Wellstone Markuson, Tom Lapic, Mary McEvoy, and Will McLaughlin. We lost them ten years ago today in plane crash on the Iron Range, an event that changed the course of Minnesota politics. In the hyper-partisan world in which we now live, it’s hard to…